Health is a major concern to all people. In this volume, four writers examine the medical arts of Yaqui, Anglo, Black and Mexican American communities to further understand the relationship between alternative and scientific medicine.

Edward H. Spicer's informative Introduction sets the stage for comparing "popular" and "scientific" medicine. "Graduates of medical schools have been taught that their body of knowledge is the one true medical tradition. The world has many medicines and thousands of practitioners who do not believe that "Western" medicine is a universal cure-all. These practitioners may be as certain that what they practice is the one true medical tradition," says Spicer. In the communities studied, the belief is that illnesses may be caused by overwork, withcraft or sin, and treatment may include herbs, prayer, or massage. Practitioners are successful and respected although they are not licenses in the legal sense.

In these alternative medical traditions, "Western" medicine may find a key to new growth and effectiveness. Ethnic Medicine in the Southwest is a fascinating look at commonly practiced arts that will interest not only ethnic and health services specialists but all those interested in cultural traditions.

Edward H. Spicer, University of Arizona Professor of Anthropology, for more than thirty years has dedicated much of his time to teaching, research and writing on the American Indians of the Southwest. He is past president of the American Anthropological Association and has received numerous honors including the 1976 Malinowski Award given by the Society for Applied Anthropology.

Loudell F. Snow, Assistant Professor Anthropology and Community Medicine at Michigan State University, did her study of medical traditions in a Black neighborhood with support from the Danforth Foundation.

Margarita Artschwager Kay, a former public health nurse, has worked with Spanish-speaking people in New York, California, Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico. In 1972, she became Assistant Professor of Nursing and Associate in Community Medicine at the University of Arizona.

Mary Elizabeth Shutler began her research on the Yaquis in 1958. She also has done extensive fieldwork among the New Hebrides island people. In 1975, she became Chairman of the Anthropology Department at Washington State University.

Eleanor Bauwens, Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Arizona, is author of the Anglo study. She is a member of the Committee for Nursing and Anthropology and the Society for Medical Anthropology.